A Revolutionary Non-Surgical Bone Conduction Hearing Solution Launched in the UAE

•    Stick, Click, Hear – innovative technology offers a simple and gentle way to treat conductive hearing loss 
•    Infants with conductive hearing loss to also benefit from new hearing solution 

Dubai, UAE, 111 April 2017 – A new innovative technology offering a non-surgical bone conduction solution for conductive hearing loss, will soon be available in the UAE. MED-EL, the leading provider of hearing implant solutions in the Middle East, announced today the launch of the next generation of bone conduction hearing solutions: ADHEAR. The new hearing system has no age limitation, meaning that infants right through to the elderly with conductive hearing loss or single sided deafness "SSD" are expected to obtain benefit.

ADHEAR is an excellent option for people with conductive hearing loss who are unsuitable for, or not wishing to undergo, bone conduction implant surgery. The novel system has two external components: an adhesive adaptor and an audio processor. The audio processor picks up sound waves, converts them into vibrations and transmits them onto the bone via an advanced adhesive adaptor worn behind the ear. The bone then transfers the vibrations through the skull to the inner ear where they are processed as normal sound. Bone conduction uses the skull bone to transmit sound waves directly to the inner ear and may be an appropriate option for people who have hearing loss due to problems with the eardrum, ear canal or middle ear.  

“MED-EL has always been at the forefront of innovative hearing loss technology and ADHEAR adds to our growing range of high-quality hearing loss solutions,” said Dr Ingeborg Hochmair, CEO of MED-EL. “It opens up a whole new world of sound to people with conductive hearing loss, enabling us to help more people to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication.” 

Notably, ADHEAR fills an unmet need for a viable non-surgical bone conduction solution on the market, one that is both aesthetically pleasing and comfortable to wear, yet does not sacrifice sound quality.

MED-EL acquired the device’s technology from the Swedish medical device company Otorix in 2016 and further developed ADHEAR at MED-EL’s headquarters in Innsbruck, Austria. 

Patrik Westerkull, founder and CEO of Otorix and inventor of ADHEAR, said: “There was a real need for a pressureless, non-surgical bone conduction solution. With ADHEAR we finally have an easy-to-use and comfortable-to-wear system that provides consistent access to sound and can be worn discretely behind the ear. I am thrilled people with hearing loss will now be able to benefit from this revolutionary system.”

Regarding the launch of the product in the Middle East, Mr. David Raetz, CEO and Regional Director MED-EL Middle East said: "We are very excited to launch ADHEAR in the Middle East; this innovative product is essentially a great solution for children with conductive hearing loss, who are unable to benefit from hearing aids, and have to wait until they are 5 year's old to receive a Bone Conduction Implant, and with ADHEAR we are happy they would no longer be losing valuable hearing time." 

About ADHEAR  
ADHEAR is an easy-to-use and comfortable-to-wear system that provides consistent access to sound and can be worn discretely behind the ear. The device is available in three colours: Simply Black, Terra Brown and Dove Silver.

Audio Processor
Height ˂ 15mm 
Width ˂ 35mm 
Weight including battery ˂ 15g 

Adhesive Adaptor
Height ˂ 6mm
Width ˂ 30mm 
Weight ˂ 1g 

Power Supply
One non-rechargeable size 13 zinc-air button cell with a nominal 1.4 volt supply, offering a battery lifetime of approximately two weeks

Connectivity
ADHEAR can be connected to audio devices (mobile phones, etc.), Bluetooth streamers and accessories, FM receivers, telecoil receivers